Game board



1,644,514 1 c. DIETRICHS I GAME BOARD Filed July 21, 1926 Patented Oct. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CHARLES DI'ETRIGHS, OF LITTLE FERRY, NEWJERSEY. I

GAME BOARD.

.npp1icati nn1ed July 21,

or marble, and is not concerned with the particular form of target at which the ball is directed.

The object of the invention is to provide a projecting device for. games of this charac ter wherein chance and skill are combined in a manner to render the game interesting without requiring any great degree of practice to become proficientin playing.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a game apparatus of thiskind which is of simple construction and low manufacturing cost, andwhich may be readily taken down and packed for storage or shlpment,

and which presents a neat and. attractive appearance when on display.

In the accompanylng. drawings I have illustrated my improved game apparatus as having for a target a group of pockets 0t different scoring values-into which the projectile is projected during the play ng, of the game. e 4

In said drawings Fig. 1' is a plan view of my lmproved game apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view. of the projecting apparatus detached from the board; Fig. 4C is a similar View of a modified form of the projecting apparatus; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail vlew showing the means for connecting the projectlng apparatus to the board.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the game board, which may be of any desired shape and dimensions, and is here shown as a long, narrow board having at one end a series of pockets or depressions 2 arranged in triangular form in the manner in which ten-pins are usually set up on an alley. The board is provided with a rim 3 for-confining the projectile to the surface oftheboard. The projecting apparatus compr ses a chute 4L formed of two rods or heavy wires 5 main- M tained in spaced relation by small cross- 0') wires 6 spot-welded or otherwise secured to the under surface of the large wires. The

1926. Serial No. 123,881.

chute or runway 4 preferably extends the full length of the board and is attached to the board at the end remote from the pockets 2. At the end which is attached to the board, two wires-5 are spread'apart as shown at 7 to provide an opening large enough for the marble or ball to drop through. The twowires 5 are bent back ward under the opening 7 to provide a short chute or runway and extending in the opposite direction from the main runway, to thereby direct the ball back toward the pockets 2, or other target.

The wires are given a reverse bend atthe end of the short runway 8 and spread out to form a base 9, and beyond the base are bent to form an eye. 10 by means of which the runway is fastened to the base of theboard 1. In making up the runway a single wire maybe used, the loop forming the eye 10 being formed in the middle of the length of the wire and, the ends then bent, as shown, to provide a runway having the features just described. The runway preferably extends beyond the far end of the board, and for convenience in packing is made oftwo sections fastened together with a. metal clip which may be weldedor, otherwise secured to the end of one of the Sections. A j The eye v1O is fastened to the board by means of thebolt llover which the eye fits loosely. The head of the bolt is spaced somewhat from the face of the board and the compression spring 12 is arranged between the head of the bolt and the eye 10 to normally hold the eye flat against the board while permitting it to be tilted and turned about the bolt for the purpose of directing the balland varying its speed. By turning the runwa about the bolt in the plane of the surface ot the board the projectile may be aimed at any one of the pockets or other tar get with which the game is provided. By tilting the runway to thereby vary the angle of inclination of the portion 8 of the runway, the speed of the ball may likewise be controlled. Thus, by raising the outer end of the runway 4 where it is normally held by the player, the steepness of the portion 8 of the runway will be lessened and the speed of the projectile correspondingly reduced. Conversely, if the outer end of the part 4 is depressed, the portion 8 will be tilted toward the vertical and its steepness correspondingly increased. In this way the player can exercise some skill in aiming the ball and Eli) determining its velocity. In games of this kind, where a fixed runway for the ball is used, the result of the play is altogether a matter of chance, but with the game ap paratus of this application a sufiicient element of skill is introduced for the play-erto select a particular pocket or other objective and direct his efforts toward putting: the ball in that particular pocket, thereby greatly enhancing the interest in the game.

In Fig. 4 there is illustrated a modified form of runway wherein the part4 of the runway is made of two sheet metal parts telescoping one within the other after the manner ofa curtain rod. This construction is of low manufacturing cost, and also permits the total length of the runway to be varied, as desired.

'I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an objective at one end of the game board, a runway extending across the game board and attached to the end opposite the objective, said runway being constructed to reverse the direction of the projectile rolling down the runway, said fastening comprising a swivel joint permitting the angular adjustment of the runway in the plane of the board, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an objective at one end of the game board, a runway extending across the game board and attached to the end opposite the objective, said runway being constructed to reverse the direction'of the projectile rolling down the runway, said fastening comprising a swivel joint permit ting the angular adjustment of the runway in a plane at right angles to the board, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an objective at one end of the game board, arunway extending across the game board and attached to the end opposite the objective, said runway being constructed to reverse the direction of the projectile rolling down the runway, said fastening comprising a swivel joint permitting the angular adjustment of the runway in both the vertical and the horizontal plane.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an objective at one end of the game board, a runway extending across the game board and attached to the end opposite the objective,-said runway being constructed to reverse the direction of the projectile rolling down the runway, said runway comprising a pair of spaced rods or wires bent at their lower ends to provide a reversely-directed portion with an overlying opening for the passage of the ball from one portion to the other, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an objective at one end of the game board, a runway extending across thegame board and attached to the end opposite the objective, said runway being constructed to reverse the direction of the projectile rolling down the runway, said runway comprising a pair of spaced rods or wires bent at their lower ends to provide a reversely-directed portion with an overlying opening for the passage of the ball from one portion to the other, and a base portion extending back of said reversely-directed portion and having a loose swivel connection with'said board, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES DIETRICHS. 

